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Concrete action to protect our planet. With the contribution of colleagues who use Italian company cars, Pirelli has decided to compensate for their CO2 emissions produced by the mobility of its fleet through carbon credits generated by Project Bolivia. A direct result of the new car policy launched in December 2011, this initiative incentivates the selection of vehicles that have less impact on the environment and supports a project safeguarding the forests and the people who live in the area concerned.

What is Project Bolivia?
From the foot of the Andes Mountains to the banks of the River Amazon, there extends 6,000 hectares of terrain – one hectare is 10,000 square metres – owned by the small farmers involved in an upgrading and reforestation project. In collaboration with LifeGate, Pirelli has contributed to the creation and protection of over 206 hectares, concentrated in the municipal areas of Rurrenbaque in the Beni department in the province of José Ballivián as compensation for the more than 1,400 metric tons of CO2 emitted in 2012 by Italian company cars. Project Bolivia generates carbon credits certified by its Plan Vivo (Live Plan) and is aimed at the supply of environmental services, the production of wood for commercial use, integrated agricultural planning and conservations of the ecosystems and biodiversity, all of it in collaboration with small local owners. In January 2010, it was the one and only foreign reforestation project to receive a ‘Green Status’ from the government of Holland and the Dutch investment bank. To get to know more about Project Bolivia:http://www.lifegate.it/it/eco/profit/impattozero/forestebolivia/cochabamba

How was Earth Day created?
It was in 1962, when United States Senator Gaylord Nelson had the idea to make public opinion and world governments aware of environmental matters. As a result of the collaboration of President John F. Kennedy and a number of conferences in the USA, on 22 April 1970 the first large public event was organised in favour of protecting the Earth. Today, Earth Day involves 175 countries across the world.

How are greenhouse gas emissions neutralised?
With two concrete initiatives: by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases, of which the most common is carbon dioxide (CO2), and compensating for those which are inevitable. Reducing CO2 means improving technological efficiency, adopting a style of life – and driving – that respects the environment, avoiding the useless waste of resources. Emissions that can’t be cut are compensated for by the acquisition of carbon credits generated by activities able to avoid inflicting new CO2 emissions on the atmosphere or absorbing them. In nature, the ability to absorb is a typical property of trees, which are able to retain the CO2 and emit oxygen, as a result of a process of photosynthesis clorophyllous. The Kyoto Protocol recognised their value in reducing emissions and in the climate change battle.

What are carbon credits?
Let’s imagine a ‘stock exchange’ where stockbrokers don’t exchange shares or pieces of paper, but CO2 credits created due to planting trees or introduced to the market by virtuous companies and other organisations able to reduce emissions from the moment they decide to put themselves to the test. For example, by deciding to produce energy from renewable sources, instead of coal fired generating units. The countries and companies that reduce CO2 have a double advantage. The former are economical because they are able to earn from the sale of advance credits; the latter concerns reputations, because they show to the whole system that they are able to respect the rules and hold the environment close to their hearts. The validity of the carbon credits selected by Pirelli is always guaranteed by the local organisations and certified by international standards.